Mount Olive women’s soccer falls in semifinals

BROWNS SUMMIT  – The Trojans surrendered two goals in the overtime periods on Friday afternoon to suffer a 4-2 loss versus UNC Pembroke in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Championship at Macpherson Stadium.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive concluded the season with a 13-5 overall record after making their fourth consecutive appearance in the semifinals of the league tournament. The Trojans featured tremendous success under first-year head coach Ian Brophy, as UMO claimed a share of the regular season title with eight all-conference selections. Meanwhile, the Braves improved to 15-2-2 and made a second-straight trip to the championship match.

In the first half, Mount Olive jumped out to a 1-0 advantage on a goal from freshman Addison Dangler after scoring off a rebound from an initial shot by sophomore Delia Allwood in the seventh minute. The Braves answered at the 23:09 mark after a through ball by redshirt junior Ashleigh Harris found freshman Mercy Bell, who beat the keeper to tie the match, 1-1.

Just more than five minutes later, UNC Pembroke took the lead after Conference Carolinas Player of the Year junior Anna Grossheim outran her defender and scored her 12th goal of the year. At the 35:26 mark, Allwood scored her team-leading 12th goal of the year for Mount Olive after a corner kick fell to her feet to knot the match at 2-2.

The Trojans had limited scoring opportunities in the second half after being held to just three shots. Senior goalkeeper Nicole Solicito made two impressive saves in the closing minutes of the half, stopping Bell’s shot in the 80th minute before closing down an attempt from Grosshiem at the 85:33 mark.

In the overtime period, Bell scored her second goal of the match after beating two defenders to give Pembroke a 3-2 lead in the 96th minute. The Braves sealed the victory in the second overtime with a goal from redshirt junior Naomi Fountain to win the match, 4-2.

Solicito matched a season-high with seven saves on 26 shots faced in 110 minutes of play.

UNCP finished the match with a 26-14 shot advantage, including an 11-7 lead in shots on goal, while UMO held an 8-3 edge in corner kicks.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics